Police in Kyrgyzstan conduct raids against at least 10 more independent journalists

Police in Kyrgyzstan raided the homes of at least 10 journalists from independent media outlets on Tuesday morning and took some of them into custody for questioning, according to the Kyrgyzstani news agency Kloop.

The targets of the raids included current and former employees of the investigative media projects Ait Ait Dese and Temirov Live, Kloop reported, citing the latter channel’s founder, exiled journalist Bolot Temirov.

Journalist Tynystan Asypbekov, who works at the independent outlet PolitKlinika, told Radio Azattyk, RFE/RL’s affiliate in Kyrgyzstan, that the authorities also raided his home and that the searches and interrogations are linked to a criminal case against the journalists for allegedly instigating “mass unrest.”

Bolot Temirov told the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) that 10 people were “detained and interrogated.”

Kyrgyzstan’s Interior Ministry confirmed that the raids were conducted in connection with a “mass unrest” case. The agency said that on December 30, 2023, police found “information calling for mass unrest on the pages of Ait Ait Dese and Temirov Live.” It’s unclear what posts the ministry could be referring to.

On Monday, agents from Kyrgyzstan’s State National Security Committee (GKNB) searched the newsroom of the news site 24.kg, confiscated the outlet’s equipment, sealed the entrances to the office, and took the site’s top editors in for questioning. The agency said the measures were part of an investigation into alleged “war propaganda” and that the outlet’s heads are serving as witnesses.